Service Liaison Lead - Secondment
Job summary
Location – Summary
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) is a national organisation with a Head Office in Birmingham and regional offices in London, Salford and Leeds. In line with the Places for Growth Programme HMICFRS will relocate more roles based outside London and the Southeast over the next six to seven years.
This role is being advertised on a national basis and is Remote Access Working (RAW).
Service Liaison Leads spend a significant amount of time on inspection activity in fire services. These roles are home-based, but you should therefore anticipate frequent overnight stays away from home.
For administrative purposes, you will be attached to one of our offices (Birmingham, London or Salford).
Summary
HMICFRS independently assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of police forces and fire and rescue services – in the public interest. We promote improvements in policing and fire and rescue services to make everyone safer.
We are independent of the Government, police and fire and rescue services. We ask the questions that we believe the public wish to have answered and produce major reports that shine a light on issues at the very heart of policing and fire and rescue services.
Our reports are widely covered by the media and help inform the public of the performance of their local police forces and fire and rescue services. You can find out more about HMICFRS on our website and see some of our recent reports.
Working at HMICFRS gives you an opportunity to make a real difference to the quality of local police and fire and rescue services and the lives of the public.
HMICFRS is a unique organisation with staff seconded or loaned from across the Civil Service, police forces and fire and rescue services. We set ourselves high standards, taking great pride in the quality of work we achieve and the opportunities we create for our staff.
Find out more
Please refer to the attached FAQs.
If after you have read the attached FAQs you still have questions, please contact recruitment@hmicfrs.gov.uk and we can arrange for someone to contact you.
Job description
Working in HMICFRS as a Service Liaison Lead puts you at the heart of the inspection activity. You will be instrumental in developing inspection plans, leading a team of inspectors and writing reports for the public. You will also be the primary point of liaison between HMICFRS and your allocated services, working on behalf of His Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) to build and manage the relationship with services successfully.
You will have the opportunity to develop your understanding of inspection processes whilst working with colleagues and stakeholders. You will be in regular contact with principal officers in your nominated services. This role provides an excellent opportunity for you to further develop your leadership and communication skills. It will provide you with the opportunity to gain an in-depth insight into how the fire and rescue service is run, building your skills and experience in a way which could prove invaluable to your future career. You will also be contributing the overall safety and efficiency of our fire and rescue services, making observations, and creating reports which could lead to vital changes.
We are looking for talented individuals who have the drive, enthusiasm, and skills to be part of this inspection programme. You will need to be inquisitive, be able to assess data and performance objectively as well as follow lines of enquiry. You will be expected to form constructive relationships that will enable you to work closely with those we inspect, provide challenge, and identify areas for improvement and share best practice.
You must have the ability to organise yourself, have excellent written and oral skills, and be able to provide a high-quality level of service to assist the HMI in discharging their public office function efficiently and effectively.
As a remote access worker, you will be expected to work independently from home when not inspecting or required to be in the office. Therefore, you must be a self-starter with the ability to plan and prioritise your work and consistently deliver to a high standard. The role will involve regular travel and overnight stays. You will be required to undertake engagement visits to your nominated services, as well as inspection activities in both your and other services as required. This will be by prior arrangement, and it is essential you are able to provide this flexibility.
The Service Liaison Lead will report to the Chief of Staff and may have responsibility for direct line management of Inspection Officers.
This is an excellent opportunity for people who are seeking to widen their skill base and progress within the English fire and rescue service. Many of our former secondees have returned to their home services on promotion following their time at HMICFRS.
Due to business requirements, this role is available for full-time hours only.
This role is open only to those currently working for fire and rescue services.
Responsibilities
Designing and planning the bespoke elements of your services’ inspection activities and ensuring the timely delivery of a variety of post-inspection products, including inspection reports:
- Developing and maintaining professional working relationships with the Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive, Service Liaison Officer and other key personnel in your nominated services through regular contact and visits. Keeping the service updated about future inspection activity and good practice elsewhere
- Leading, directing and supporting diverse inspection teams to successfully undertake inspection activities for your nominated services
- Building strong interpersonal relationships with inspection colleagues through actively participating in other inspection activity and supporting fellow Service Liaison Leads as required
- Working confidently with a range of analytical products as well as with both the services’ and HMICFRS’s analysts to monitor service performance
- Managing and evaluating a wide range of evidence to write the inspection reports of your nominated services and delivering post inspection feedback to HMIs and senior managers in the fire and rescue service
- Being responsible for quality assurance of public reports for service context and accuracy
- Keeping the HMI and Chief of Staff informed of issues by contributing to briefings and providing assurance of the information HMICFRS holds about your nominated services
- Monitoring the progress of nominated services to meet HMICFRS recommendations
- Working closely with the FRS portfolio team and other teams across HMICFRS to ensure the delivery of a consistent and professional inspection programme
- Demonstrating and actively promoting behaviours described in HMICFRS’s values, and where applicable taking an active role in managing and developing staff.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
- Must be employed currently by a Fire and Rescue Service in England, have their Service's agreement to apply and returned the Secondment Approval Authorisation form
- Detailed knowledge and experience of the fire and rescue service, its management and how the service operates within England
- Strong leadership and team management skills with experience of relationship management and working with partners
- Effective verbal and written communication skills, with experience of preparing formal structured papers or submissions of a high standard for presentation to senior management and other stakeholders
- Flexibility to work away from home for extended periods to lead and support various aspects of inspection activities and undertake training
- The ability to prioritise competing demands and work at pace, if required.
Desirable Criteria
- Experience of using analytical skills and the ability to articulate complex concepts in a way that people can easily understand.
- Experience of using performance and management information to improve performance.
- Experience of presenting to and managing relationships with chief officers or senior stakeholders.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Leadership
- Delivering at Pace
Benefits
- Learning and Development tailored to your role
We are committed to investing in our staff and providing all staff with opportunities to maximize their skills and achieve their potential. We offer a range of work-based training and development opportunities including access to coaching and mentoring, and five days volunteering per year.
HMICFRS has an Inspection Development Programme and linked accreditation process that all inspection staff undertake in our organisation. The scheme is approved by Skills for Justice and is based on you demonstrating competencies against a framework of role-specific tasks. The expectation is that all new inspection staff will complete a portfolio of evidence within agreed timescales (normally 12 months) and once this is complete it will be assessed by a trained assessor.
- An environment with flexible working options
We promote flexible working that balances professional and personal commitments. We support virtual and smart working, making best use of our technology and building collaborative working models to help all staff to work from home and/or in the office in a ‘hybrid’ way.
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
The diversity of our people is a real asset to HMICFRS. We are committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best. We particularly welcome applications from candidates from ethnic minority groups and people with disabilities, as they are currently under-represented within this grade level.
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV detailing job history and qualifications, and a Personal Statement (750 words). Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
You will also be asked to return a completed Secondment Approval Authorisation form before the advertised closing date directly to Recruitment@hmicfrs.gov.uk. Candidates will need to quote their application candidate ID number on the form.
The CV is for information purposes only and will not be marked.
For guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV, Personal Statement and Skills), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.
The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet all the skills and experience as set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.
Please give details of any experience you have and reference all six essential criteria in your statement (maximum 750 words).
The initial sift will be based on the Secondment Approval Authorisation form being submitted from your service. If at this stage, we have not received the correct approval your application will not progress any further.
The next stage of the sift will be carried out on your personal statement which should be aligned to the essential criteria. If you do not meet the essential criteria, your application will not progress further.
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will include:
- Strength questions
We will ask questions to help us understand if you have the relevant strengths for the job. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. The best way to prepare is to reflect on:
- What you think your personal strengths are
- Your preferred ways of working
For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.
- In addition, candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation to be delivered at interview. The presentation will be tested against the behaviours Communicating and Influencing, Leadership, and Delivering at Pace. Further details will be disclosed prior to the interviews.
We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.
Sift – 10-11th June 2026
Interviews by Video link – w/c 13th July 2026
A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer.
Candidates judged to be a near miss at interview may be offered a post at the grade below the one advertised without the need to go through a further selection process, providing the role has the same Success Profiles elements and essential skills.
Important information, please read before applying on secondment:
These are Remote Access worker posts. These posts will be attached to one of the office locations. Remote Access workers, as part of the secondment will not be entitled to London Weighting Allowance. You will be required to attend HMICFRS offices or other locations on a regular basis and your travel, accommodation and subsistence costs will be reimbursed according to HMICFRS policy.
These roles are open only to currently serving fire officers or current serving fire staff equivalent.
The role will involve regular travel and overnight stays.
Secondees can be appointed to HMICFRS for a maximum of 4 years – this includes new and previous postings.
Candidates who have served for the maximum tenure length, cannot be reappointed for 12 months from the date their previous secondment ended.
Candidates will need their Service to complete the Approval Form (see attachment), Please return your completed approval from to HMICFRS Recruitment mailbox recruitment@hmicfrs.gov.uk. This should be sent before the advert closing date. Without this form supporting your application and confirming release for secondment we cannot proceed with your application.
Allowances:
Your full-time employer will continue to pay your salary as well as any allowances including compensatory grants and pension contributions to which you are entitled. Your service will then invoice HMICFRS for the amount.
Please note: As part of our pre-employment checks, if you have previously worked within HMICFRS and your proposed start date falls within 12 months of a previous exception appointment, we are required to seek prior approval from the Civil Service Commission.
Additionally, if your proposed salary exceeds that of a Senior Civil Servant Pay Band 2 (SCS PB2), we must also seek prior approval from the Commission before confirming your appointment.
Any provisional offer of employment will therefore be subject to this approval, in addition to the successful completion of all relevant pre-employment checks.
Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not overseas.
Further Information
Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs).
Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
If you are invited to an interview you will be required to bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks.
Please see the attached list of acceptable ID documents.
You will need to meet the nationality requirements for this role and obtain the necessary security clearance to take it up. For meaningful security checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. Learn more on our website. Security Checks - Home Office Careers
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Transfer Terms: Voluntary
Any move to the HMICFRS from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Serviceon your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct.
If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Plagiarism
The ideas and experience provided by candidates during the recruitment process must be their own. Where plagiarism has been identified (which could include content generated by Artificial Intelligence), candidate applications may be rejected. Existing Civil Servants found to have plagiarised may be subject to disciplinary action.
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
- as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
- Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Emma Huntly
- Email : Recruitment@HMICFRS.gov.uk
Recruitment team
Further information
If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitmentprinciples, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance
HORecruitment.GRS@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission